Friday, 22 July 2011

The SYMPACT project.

I met earlier this week with members of the SYMPACT team at the Folk House in Bristol for lunch. The SYMPACT project is being led by Dr. Chris Preist and Dr. Mike Yearworth and is being assisted by Paul Shabajee and Daniel Schien, both from the University of Bristol. The SYMPACT project is examining theenvironmental impact of both print and online media. As the use of digital media is constantly increasing and shows no signs of reversing or even slowing down, it’s imperative at this relatively early stage to identify the most environmentally sustainable type of media, (be it paper based or digital) and push for its wider use.

The University of Bristol has partnered with Guardian News and Media and the University of Surrey’s Centre for Environmental Strategy to build different scenarios models that indicate how the news industry might look in the future, after a greater move towards the use of digital technology. The subject of behavioural change is also being examined.In this instance it involves examining the change from the use of paper materials as a source of media to their online equivalent or the uptake of electronic reader devices in place of books.

The questions the SYMPACT projects hopes to answer include; what is the environmental impact of both print and online media? How will changes in technology alter this impact over time? How is digital technology changing customer behaviour now, and how might this happen in the future? What new business models do technological advances open up, and how will they affect the environmental impact? How will environmental factors, such as carbon pricing, act as business and behavioural drivers within this system? Beyond energy and climate, what other sustainability implications might this transformation have?

At the meeting we also discussed the overlap between the SYMPACT project and that of the SUSTE-TECH project, (and indeed the aims ofJISC’s 34 other JISC Greening of ICT projects too). After our meeting, I forwarded onto the SYMPACT team, information and data on how to calculate (and how I derived) the EF of paper in the hope it would prove useful for answering their research questions. As both project’s are looking to reduce ICT’s impact on the environment I’m confident the SYMPACT and SUSTE-TECH project will continue to share ideas and knowledge on greener ICT.For more information on the SYMPACT prpject, click on the following link http://www.sympact.org/

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Sustainable technology is one of the fastest growing sector in the ICT industry. As ICT use accounts for over 2% of global emissions, finding effective methods of reducing those emissions is of utmost importance.
Procurement and behavioural change in ICT end users will also be examined as research shows they play a significant role in energy wastage.
The SUSTE-TECH project aims to engage with 1/3 of the UK’s FHE’s institutions. In doing so, institutions will have access to valuable resources on sustainable ICT technologies, service providers and will be able to obtain feedback from those who have used the technology.

About Me

Nicola is the sustainable ICT project manager with the EAUC. She is currently managing the JISC funded SUSTE-TECH project. The aim of the project is to examine the energy use of ICT systems in UK FHE institutions (through the use of the Suste-IT tool) and then assist institutions in reducing their energy use through the use of more sustainable technology. While the principle aim of the project is to reduce ICT related energy use, its overarching aims include examining sustainable improvements in ICT design, manufacture and disposal.
The project has recruited 16 institutions from the York & Humberside region and South West and South Wales regions. Each institution has submitted a greening of ICT action plan and/or a completed Suste-IT tool.
By 2012 it is hoped that each institution will have demonstrated a clear reduction in ICT related energy use, reduced carbon emissions and saved money in the process.
Follow her on Twitter : NicICT